collateral damage
by Ravens pet dragon
Summary: Aang burns Toph, Zuko gets revenge.


Disclamer

i don't own A.T.L.A. in any Way, Shape or Form, i am only borrowing these characters for a harmless and completely non-profit fanfiction.

Author's note's.

This is an A.U. fanfiction in which Zuko joined the Gaang BEFORE the episode with the Library. reader's be warned, this is a Toph x Zuko romance fanfic. don't like, don't read.

Chapter 1... Outside the Sacred Library

"Toph?" Aang said. " Toph, where's Aapa?" Toph shook her head. "i'm sorry Aang," she said. "i'm so sorry." Aang took a step forward. "Toph." he said, his voice dripping with melevolence. "Where. Is. Aapa?" Toph cringed. "They... took him." she said. " I tried to stop them but... oh Aang, i'm so sorry." Zuko felt sorry for Toph, "are you okay?" he asked. in the few month's he had traveled with the Gaang he had grown to like the spunky little earthbender. but she liked Aang, who was now glareing at her. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HIM." Zuko looked at him. "Aang," he said. "you need to calm down buddy." Aang hit him in the stomach with his staff. "you need to stay out of this Zuko, it doesn't concern you." he said. "and you, WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THEM?" Toph got to her feet. "I DIDN'T STOP THEM," she yelled."BECAUSE I CANT SEE A THING IN THIS DESERT." she kicked the sand at her feet. "LIAR." Aang screamed. "YOU LET THEM TAKE HIM." then he sent a blast of fire at her. Zuko tried to bend it away from her but Aang had put to much rage behind it. it engulfed her just as Aang took off on his glider. "TOPH." Zuko screamed. he was at her side in an instant. "Toph?" she was badly burned from her face to her hip. he looked over at Katara who had rushed over. he felt his rage boil over and pure power flow into his Firebending. "heal her." he managed to say before he gave chase after Aang on a pillar of White Hot Blue Flames.

Chapter 2

'What have you done?' asked Avatar Kyoshi's voice in his head. 'you hurt Toph, maybe even killed her.' 'AND WHY NOT?' Aang snaped. ' SHE LET THEM TAKE AAPA.' 'Aang, i hate doing this to you,' Kyoshi said. 'but it has to be done.' Aang felt his mind being riped from his body and thrown into the spirit realm. when he looked around he saw monk Gyatso standing in front of him. Aang steped forward, needing his near-father's comforting. but Monk Gyatso steped back, a look of horror writen on his face. "you're not the Aang i knew, the Aang i knew wouldn't have attacked anyone out of rage." he said. he turned away from Aang. "you shame the Spirit of the Avatar's, and you shame the memory of me." as Monk Gyatso faded away Aang fell to his knee's, the full weight of his action's hiting him for the first time. "oh spirit's," he asked. "what have i done?" \par

Zuko could see a small dot on the horizon that he knew to be Aang, he smiled melevolently. he was catching up to the Avatar again. and unlike the last times, this time there was no escape.

For Aang the torture only continued with his next visitor. "ahh." the spirit of Avatar Roku said as he appeared. "Hello young Sozin" Aang shuddered at the comparrision. "tell me," Roku continued. "do you feel powerfull? Knowing that one of you're friend's lay mortaly wounded, maybe dieing, by you're hand's?" "i.." said Aang. he hadn't forgotten that Roku and Sozin had been friend's untill Sozin left him to die. "i can't have ki..killed her." "it doesn't matter what you belive young Sozin." Roku said. "because my Great-grandson doesn't care." Aang sliped back into his body in time to feel the searing of his back and see the ball of Blue Flame's engulf his glider.

Chapter 3

Zuko was pleased with his aim as the glider burned up and Aang crashed into a sand dune. 'now to have a little chat.' Zuko landed and grabed Aang by the neck as he was trying to crawl away. "i'm talking, so you just shut up and pay attention." Aang was wide eyed, he had never seen Zuko this angry before. "Toph is off limit's. me? okay, Sokka? asking for it, Katara? lover's quarel. but Toph? no." Zuko was useing his Firebending to scald Aang's neck. "i sware, if i even feel you look at her wrong," he spit a ball of fire at a nearby sand dune which melted and flowed like water. "Avatar or not, there is no mesure as to how fast or how painfully i will end you." Zuko then threw Aang, who he was holding in the air by his neck, as far as he could and blasted off headed back to camp.

"well?" Sokka asked as Katara tied the last of Toph's bandage's in place. "she'll live." "i ment Zuko," he said. " the whole blue fire thing." "well, Firebender's grow stronger with there anger. when they get mad enough," she shruged. "how would you feel if it had been Suki instead of Toph?" Sokka tensed."i'd have killed him on the spot." he said. "but i still don't see what that has to do with Zuko's fire." Katara rolled her eye's."you dupe." she said. "Zuko like's her." "what?" he asked. "since when?" "since she kicked his butt in that little sparing match three month's ago." she said. "he's alway's looked at her more warmly after that." just then Zuko landed outside the tent they had erected over Toph. "How is she?" he asked as he walked in. "she'll be fine." Katara said. "how's Aang?" a nearby candle flared blue for a second before going out. "he'll live. which is more than he deserves" he said bitterly. "but as long as she live's or doesn't ask me to kill him then he wont have to fear my sliting his throat." he looked back at Toph and his expretion became sorrowfull. Katara grabed Sokka's arm and draged him out of the tent. "Toph? can you hear me?" he asked as he grabed her hand. "if you can, im so sorry this happend. i tried to bend it away, but i wasn't fast enough. i sware on my life i will never fail you again." Katara was evesdroping from outside. a single tear fell passed her smileing lip's. 'he realy does love her'

Chapter 4

Zuko had spent day and night with Toph, never leaveing her side unless absolutely nessesary. "Aang showed up last night." Katara said."he's been burned pretty badlly." Zuko didnt even acknolege her preasence. "Zuko." she said. "was all that realy nessesary?" Zuko stood up so quickly that his chair overturned. "what do you know about it?" he asked. his voice dangerously low and quiet. "he's lucky i didn't do far worse." Katara steped back, haveing caught a glimps of the Zuko that has so frightened Aang. she could feel raw hatered boiling off him. hatered for Aang, and more importaintly, hatered for himself. "was this nessesary?" he gestured at Toph. his voice barly more than a hiss. "do you know what wound's like that do to someone?" Katara had thought they were just burn's, but Zuko's voice spoke of something more. "well i do, the scar's are not just of the flesh." he said. " her mind has been wounded too, the man she loved burned her in a fit of anger. she'll have to live with that for the rest of her life." his word's shook the very ground on which she stood. " the only thing that kept me alive after my father did this to me," he covered his burned eye with his hand. "was hunting the Avatar. uncle Iroh taught me to live again. who's going to teach her to live again? no, scratch that. what's going to keep her alive to begin with? answer me that." Katara shook her head. trying not to sob. "i don't know." Zuko just nodded. "that's what i thought." he sat up his chair and sat back down. Katara walked out of the tent. Aang was sitting near enough to have heard. "i..." he said. "i didn't..." "you didn't what, Airbender?" Zuko asked. "speak up so we all can hear" Aang buryed his head in his arm's again. "The Great Avatar." Zuko spat. "just a cowardly scum who attack's blind girl's"

Capter 5

The next day Zuko awoke to Toph stureing in bed. she tried to set up but gave a short cry of pain before colapsing back down. "don't." Zuko said. "you'll only hurt yourself worse." "Sparky?" she said. "that you?" "yeah," he said. "it's me." she reached up and lightly touched the bandage's on the burned side of her face. "now i look as bad as you do," she said. "and that's pretty bad." she gave a small chuckle then started crying. "shh." Zuko wanted to comfort her, to hold her untill her tear's stoped. but with her burn's he knew that wasn't a good idea, instead he settled for holding her hand. she had a surprizeingly strong grip for someone so small. "you're the last person in the world i would have thought would comfort me." she said. Zuko smiled sadly. "i know what it's like." he said. "if i can help you, i will." Toph blushed slightly. "oh dont get all mushy on me Princess." Zuko found her giggle contageous, and soon they were both laughing. "personality intact." he said. 'thank the spirit's' "oh, you're awake." Katara said as she walked in. "how do you feel?" "peachy, maybe latter i'll go get a tan." Toph said. "how about you Sugar Queen?" the sarcasum was so thick in her voice you could cut it with a knife. Katara looked at Zuko. "i need to change her bandage's" he stood and left the tent. while he didn't want to leave her, he let her keep her modesty. when he was a suffecient distance from the tent he did his stretch's and practesed his Firebending. his flame was still blue. "not bad." he said after he practesed the first form. he was far more powerfull than he was before. when Zuko came to a pause Sokka's voice came from behind him. "Zuko?" he said. "Toph asked for you." Zuko and Sokka made there way back to Toph's tent. Zuko steped in and found that the bandage's had been removed from her face. he flinched when he saw the scaring. "that bad?" she asked. Zuko forced himself to smile. "not bad." he lied. "you'd still win the beauty pagent over me." she reached up and felt the side of her face and a tear ran down her face. "Hey Princess," she said. "could you bring me my bag?" when he handed her the battered backpack she reached in and pulled out a ball of what looked like clay. she used her bending to morph it into a mask that she then put on her face. the mask covered all but her eye's. the effect sent chill's down Zuko's spine. he couldn't say anything for the sorrow in his heart. "Sugar Queen say's i can get up tomorrow." Toph said. then she paused for a moment. "she also says that you've been practicaly glued to my side after you returned." "she exagerate's" he said. "but i did keep a watchfull eye on you yes." "thank's" she said.

Chapter 6 ...*Flash Forward : Day of Black Sun.*

Relation's between Aang and Toph never recovered after that day. Aang beged for her forgiveness whenever they were near and Toph was to scaired to answer. after a while they both made a silent agreement to avoid each other. now they were on the sub heading for the Fire Nation. Zuko stood right behind her, she was figeting. "i really," she said. "i mean more than really, hate this sub." a smile thretened to make it's home on his face. he glanced down at the masked girl, "at least you can't see it" he said. "it's nothing to look at." he had learned to read her twitch's and knew she was smileing. he knelt down to her hight. "i know what you're planning." he whispered. Toph stiffend. "and as i promised. if i can help you, i will." Toph relaxed. "thank you Zuko."

"okay everybody, you know the plan." Aang said. "pick you're team and get going." "Toph's and me will take this sector here." Zuko said pointing at a part of the map. "you should take someone with you." Aang said. Zuko looked at him with murder in his eye's. Aang instaintly backed down."if you're sure." Aang said "Alright people, let's end this war." every team went off in there chosen direction. "thank you for all you're help," Toph said. she fidgeted for a moment."see you around?" "what do you mean?" Zuko asked. "i'm going with you" Azula jumped out of the bush's "i have you now." she said. Zuko placed a hand on Toph's sholder and steped in front of her. "how sweet," Azula said. "steping between us. afraid to have her disfigured like you?" Toph steped infront of Zuko and removed her mask. Azula's eye's widened momentarily. "do you're worst Fire Bitch." she said. "it'll be no worse than the Avatar has done." that sent Azula reeling. "that's why i wanted to talk to you," Zuko said. as the moon covered the sun, robing the Firebender's of there bending. "when you see the Avatar, i need you to tell him that we're dead." "and i'm going to do this for you," Azula said. "why?" Zuko smiled and steped forward with his hand ablaze with blue fire. "because i said please." he said. "you do this for us and win, lose or draw. you'll never see us again." Azula was visibly shaken. "deal," she said. "Zuko, Lady Bei Fong" then she left. "let's go." Toph said and she Earthbended a tunnel. as they made there way through she Earthbended it closed behind them. Zuko used his Firebending to light his way. Toph stoped. "sugar queen told me that you're fire is blue now." she said. "when did that happen?" "does it bother you?" he asked after a pause. "i could change it." "no." she said. "but it seem's to bother you." Zuko sighed. "i was alway's envious of my sister's blue fire." he said. "but mine came at to great a price." Toph turned toward him. "what was it?" she asked. "the price?" he removed her mask and cuped the burned side of her face. "this," he said as he stroked the scared flesh. "this was the price." Toph Earthbended a pillar that raised her to his hight. "explain." "when he.. when he burned you," he said. "i lost control. my rage flared and my fire's been blue ever since." "be.." she stumbled. "because i was hurt?" he nodded, then remembered that she couldnt see. "yeah." Toph seemed to be chewing something over in her mind. then she grabed the front of Zuko's shurt and pulled his lip's to her's.

Epilouge. 5 Year's Later. Iroh's teashop, Ba-Sing-Se.

Lee was busy waiting table's and didn't notice the waiting figure take a seat at a nearby table. he felt eye's burning a hole into the back of his head. he casualy turned and made his way to that table. "may i take you're order?" he asked. he then looked into eye's as Golden as his own. "ah, the Fire Lady grace's our humble teashop with her preasence." Azula smirked. "good to see you to." she said. "Jasmine please." Lee wrote out the order for a cup of Jasmine Tea. "anything else?" "yeah, i've got some new's about you're former travleing companions." she said. " Katara's getting married to Longshot next month and Sokka and Suki have a baby on the way. and." she parted her cloke to show her own baby bump. a small smile spread across his lip's. "congratulation's" he said. "and how's his's father?" "Her father," the Fire Lady corected. "he's fine, he even has the whole of the Firenation army out on search and rescue looking for you two." "oh," he said. "Joy." "speaking of which," Azula said. "how is the little Earthbender?" "not so little," he said. "she's almost as tall as me." "well tell her that i'm inviteing you both to Katara's wedding." she said as she took a sip of her tea. "you know better than that." he said. " i know," she said. "just think it over, im tired of hearing him whine." "i'll talk it over with her." he said. " but i can't promise anything." Azula finished her tea and went to pay but he waved her off. "a pregnant lady's money is no good here." he said. "on the house, uncle's order's." she stood and went to make her way to the door. "Zuko," she said so quietly that he almost didn't hear. "i want my daughter to.. well i would like it if she knew her uncle." Zuko sobered for a moment. "i'll see what i can do." Azula left and he made his way to the kitchen. "it's about closing time," Iroh said. "go ahead and turn in for the night." he walked out the back of the kitchen and into the apartment that they shared with Iroh. where Toph was doing her Earthbending exercises. "today was interesting." he said as he sat down. "the Fire Lady showed up for a cup of Jasmine tea." "Really?" Toph said. the scar's on her face had long since started to fade and were now barrly visable. " What did her royal hothead have to say? she and Aang still married?" "mm-hm," Zuko said. "they've even got a daughter on the way." she stoped streaching and a small smile spread across her face. "Sokka and Suki have a baby on the way to." he said. "she also invited us to crash Katara and Longshot's wedding." Toph turned toward him. "she know's better than that." "i know, i know." Zuko said. "but then she said something that sorta made me think, 'maybe, just maybe.' " Toph raised an eyebrow. "she said that she wanted her daughter to know her uncle." Toph lowered her head. "yeah," she said a little distaintly. "okay, but not on Katara's wedding day. i owe her too much." "you sure you're up to seeing Aang again?" he asked. Toph took a deep breath. "yeah." she said. "i.. i think so." "well let's head to bed." said Zuko. "we'll plan on how to return from the dead tomorrow."

End... for now.

Author's End Note's

Thus end's my first Avatar the Last Airbender Fanfiction, i hope you like it. Revew's are welcome, critic's are welcome, Flame's are laughed at.


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